15 Greatest QB/WR Duos of All Time

1989: Houston

Andre Ware and Manny Hazard

Unless you were at the games in 1989, you didn’t get to see them play live. The athletic program at Houston got into a little bit of trouble. They were placed on probation.

But unless you lived under a very large mountain, you heard what was happening in the Lone Star State. Numbers that had never been heard of before were being heard of now.

Taking snaps was Andre Ware, throwing the football was Andre Ware. Catching the football was Manny Hazard. Records were broken.

Let’s begin with Ware. He won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first African American quarterback to do so in the history of NCAA football. He wasn’t only the best quarterback in the nation. He was the best football player in the nation. So much so that not even the loss of live televised games could stop him from earning the attention and respect he deserved.

In his record setting ’89 season, Andre Ware threw for 4,699 yards and 46 touchdowns.

The ball looked so good leaving Ware’s hand, so enthralling spinning through the air, that Manny Hazard had no choice but to pluck it out of the sky. Hazard wouldn’t let anyone else have it. He wanted it for himself.

And Hazard got it, always. His 142 receptions in 1989 is the NCAA single-season record. He also led the nation that season with 22 touchdown receptions.

Live television or no, Houston went 9-2 and finished the season ranked #14 in the AP Poll.

It’s hard not to wish we all had season tickets to watch the Cougars play that season. I can only imagine that we would all be better people had we been there to see it.